22 February 2008

Can the "powers that be" be right? Has Spring come to stay? I can hope for that one. My patio furntiture is all in place, my barbeque is in it's rightful place. The barbeque is usually "man's world" ...but move over men...Valerie is here!!! My new barbeque is a thing of beauty, with its shiny stainless steel exterior and it's infrared roast cooker...can't wait to roast a spit chicken. I found the largest barbeque that my deck in the condominium would allow...still leaving plenty of room for the patio furniture and friends.

There was a time when I would barbeque all year round. I was out in the rain, the sleet, the hail..the snow.... nothing would keep me from my appointed task. If Spring has arrived then to speed up the process I have been flashing up the barbeque whenever the feeling moves over me. First it was the ribs for the Royal Foodie Joust and now Smoky hamburgers the quintessential and classic barbeque food. Roll on summer!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the heat of the summer my barbeque becomes invaluable. It is too hot in the kitchen to cook up a storm, so, instead of eating cold cuts and salads I turn on the side burner and cook up fresh veggies and stirfries, bake bread, make pizzas and even cakes and brownies in the barbeque. Experimentation is the key. The best thing about the barbeque there is little or no cleanup. No wonder it is man's world...wink...wink...sorry all you men out there :D We are just smart enough to make a delicious meal with the least amount of effort so we can move on to other things!! What a concept!

So to start my barbeque season off right I christianed my barbeque for the 2nd time with hamburgers. Cheesy ,barbeque sauce laden, dripping on your pants, juicy burgers with yam fries and oven baked onion rings. I'm sure there will be many more barbeques to come!!!!!!!!!!!

Barbecue Sauce :To make sauce, blend together all sauce ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. Blend in food processor or blender until smooth. Let cool.

Patties: Preheat gas grill to high setting. To make patties, combine beef, 2 to 4 T water, and 2 T barbecue sauce in a large bowl. Mix gently using your hands. Shape meat into 8 patties. Make a small indentation in the centre of each patty with your thumb to ensure even cooking because the burger swells during cooking.

Brush grill rack lightly with oil or spray with cooking spray. Grill burgers over hot coals until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook them or they’ll be dry. Baste both sides of burgers with barbecue sauce during last couple minutes of cooking.
Top with cheese slices, close lid, count to 10 and remove from heat! Serve burgers on whole wheat rolls with sautéed mushrooms and your favourite burger toppings.

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Wash potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Do not peel them if you desire. Slice each potato into french-fry-like wedges (about 10 fries per potato, depending on the size of the potato). Toss fries in a large bowl with olive oil until well-coated, then toss with spice blend.

Spread fries evenly on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn fries over and bake an additional 7 minutes, or until tender. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fries. Make sure you don’t over-bake them, or they’ll be soggy.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

What's wrong here? You are talking about spring while we are getting half a foot of snow here and the highest temperature has been 20 degrees. I am not ready for spring yet! I don't have a grill :( I am not feeling very manly right now. LOL

But I am ready for one of those cheeseburgers and those yammy fries :D

I double checked this time to make sure that I'm on the right blog:-)You are so optimistic to be talking of BBQ in Canada, isn't it cold.Thanks for giving us three recipes in one post please tell us how to make the onions. You are making me want to BBQ.

We (well, actually the meat man) barbecue all year long too, but we don't have to withstand all that tricky weather like you do (wow). Actually, he uses any excuse to throw something on his barbecue, even making pancakes for Sunday brunch.

I have never made yam fries. But I am a yam fan, so I must try this. Your description of the BBQ cheeseburger is downright mean. I have to go to work now and look at English hospital food all day.(say no more) I will have that burger on my brain all day.

Who would have thought there would be such heartwarming response to burgers and yammy fries. Thanks everyone for all your kind comments :D I am all for barbequing..think of how little cleanup there is :D... and yes Spring is coming!!!!!!!!

.

Discover

can we help you search...

_____

Relax

My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.